Students from the YouthBuild Fall River program celebrated the 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday by listening to Jibreel Khazan at Community Recreation Development, the former Bank Street Armory. Khazan and three classmates at North Carolina A&T University, who later became known as “the Greensboro Four,” sat at an all-white lunch counter at a Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, N.C., in 1960. Khazan, born Ezell Blair Jr., moved to New Bedford in 1965 because he found it too difficult to find a job after college because of his reputation after the sit-in. “Everyone here at YouthBuild has looked at the dream of Dr. King and decided that a proper way to honor his spirit would be to celebrate all cultures sharing his vision,” YouthBuild Director Terry Moran said. YouthBuild members prepared ethnic dishes to share and performed music from some of the cultures that they represent. YouthBuild has traditionally volunteered at area organizations on Martin Luther King Day but hosted its own event for the first time this year. YouthBuild , a ten-month construction skills training curriculum for men and women ages 17-24 who have not completed high school, is operated in Fall River by the Old Colony YMCA.  Click here, here, and here to see other YouthBuild projects. For more information about the program, contact YouthBuild Program Director Terry Moran at 508-678-1975.
 

(Top row, left) Jibreel Khazan offers his reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and the impact of the Civil Rights Movement in America. (Top row, center) Adam Woods, Kaimari Mills and Rickey Powell listen intently to Mr. Khazan. (Top row, right) Felix Garcia and Joshua Barrett perform a song reflecting Felix's Latino heritage. (Middle row, left) Mr. Khazan shares more of his experiences with Joram Baez and Felix Garcia after his talk. (Middle row, right) Celebration participants enjoy a pot-luck lunch with ethnic dishes from each of their cultures. (Bottom row) Elias Annaya, Mikey Leonirio, Kaimari Mills and Rickey Powell act out the events of February 1, 1960, when four African-American students at North Carolina A&T University decided to sit down at a Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, setting off the Civil Rights Movement in America. Mr. Khazan stands to applaud their performance.